Well today was another awesome day on the waters and I spent it with JW! When I arrived at JW’s house and saw the boat, I knew that we were going to have some serious fun!! Here’s a pic of the boat and then one of JW at the wheel.

Well we hit the water at Lynn Creek and headed off to the bassin hole! JW started off working with a small Rat-L-Trap and I started with malibu-style senko (did I mention I like those senkos?!). After JW’s fifth bass, I decided to give up on that senko and tie on my firetiger Rat-L-Trap. Well there were some hits but the ones doing the hitting were some young bucks and just not taking my offering. But I soon found out that string, rocks and a sunken tree branch just loved that firetiger Rat-L-Trap. So much so, that one rock decided to keep it all to himself!! We began working some sunken cedars… JW on a modified carolina-rigged lizard and I on my Texas-rigged senko. All of a sudden WHAMMO BLAMMO!! I had a lunker on and it was takin’ drag!!! I’m a-reelin’ and a-reelin’ and wondering when this lunker is going to surface!!! And then JW says, “Are you hung up?”. I stop and suddenly realize that I am!!! Thanks JW… just couldn’t let me live in the moment any longer could ya?!

I went back through the motions trying to figure out what had just occurred. There was definitely a serious THUMP! and that line did suddenly move to the right. After going through the motions a couple of times, JW and I surmised that it was a 7-pound bass that hit the senko and then got me all wrapped up in that cedar. I shall have my revenge on that bass one day!

Now it was time for some crappie fishing. Once on the humps and near the secret ‘house’ location, we set up our spider rigs and started trolling for crappie.

Those crappie must have orderd some baitfish to-go from Ray Roberts cause they weren’t biting!!! Nonetheless, we found a new feature in the water and have it marked so that we can come back and fish that spot knowing exactly what’s down there! While there, I noticed a lot of mayflies and caught one so that I could take a pic of it to use for reference when I’m tying up some flies later on.

Now we’re off to work a brush pile that was down in about 33 feet of water. I rigged up with a tandem drop-shot rig and started working that brush. Several tap-tap-taps but nothing ever solid taking hold. We were then off to work some bridge pilings where again a lot of tap-tap-taps and JW even got one to the surface before she shook off! Next we headed to some flooded timber and I was able to get a bass to the surface. But like JW’s crappie, this one shook off right at the surface.

Although the fishing action wasn’t what it was expected to be, it was still a joy meeting JW and swapping stories of our military days and just being on the water with someone who truly loves to fish. Can’t wait to get back out on the waters with him soon!!

Well this was my second day of fishing Ray Roberts this week and my third time overall. I warned Kyle that the fishing was going to be challenging if it was anything like the day before … and it was!!! On my first-ever trip on Ray Roberts, I spent the day with Kyle and we just had the time of our lives and have been trying to pick a date that worked in our schedules to get back out on the water together!

We went back and hit a couple of spots that I had fished with Gary the day before; at least the spots that I could remember!!! And those baitfish were still there in massive numbers!!! We worked the bridge pilings for quite a while! What a blast it was to watch those sandies pushing the baitfish up to the surface and seeing the water just boil and boil!! As the schools moved from one piling to the next, we just trolled beside them casting into the melay and bringing in those sandies!!

After hitting the sandies, we moved out to some flooded timber in hopes of making up for yesterday’s crappie performance on my part!! We tied off to a tree branch and started working that area. All of a sudden I felt one serious THUMP! on my line! I thought to myself that it was either one big crappie or a catfish. Much to my surprise I pulled to the surface the first gar that I’ve ever caught!!! Let me just say for the record that it shocked me to see that thing on the end of my line! The first thought I had was, “How in the heck am I gonna get this off my hook?!!” By now I have this prehistoric creature in the boat and it’s flopping around!!! Okay, it isn’t that big but it’s got tons of surgeon scapel-sharp teeth and I want to keep all my skin intact!!! So Kyle recommends that I just lip the gar and pose for a picture. Lip a gar… yeah, right!!! Well I get the gar in my hands and all I can think is, “Crikey!!! Look at that thing. Isn’t she a beauty?!!” So after posing for a few pictures, we get the crappie jig out of its upper jaw and release it back into the waters to shock another angler someday!!!

Well we were done with gar, crappie and sandies. It’s time to go bassin!!! So we head to one of Kyle’s favorite bassin spot and we start working those waters! We were getting some serious tap-tap-taps but I was waiting for that one tap from a 10+ pounder!!! He must not have gotten the word that we were coming because he did not show up!! All the same we caught some really nice bass that evening. There’s just something about fishing for bass on the lake while the sun is going down. It’s just surreal and relaxing … a place I wouldn’t mind being at every day!! Well many know that I’m not a bass fisherman but have lately started taking an interest in this species and out to catch more to learn more about it. So on this evening I caught my 4th-ever bass in my life (told ya I wasn’t a bass fisherman!!) and enjoyed the short battle! I had cast underneath a willow tree and felt the solid tap but I overreacted and jerk that Texas-rigged senko too far away. So I quickly reeled in and sent that senko right back under that tree. This time the bass hit and hit hard and soon he was in the boat!! Not a big one but a bass all the same! I just wonder…. which is bigger? The bass on my shirt or the bass in my hand?!!

Kyle had been telling me that this spot held some hefty fish. Said that it held 4-pounders like he’s never seen before. Well, I was beginning to have my doubts when all of a sudden I see his rod take to a serious bend and seeing the water swirl and the flash of a big white belly!!! Kyle starts yelling to get the net and we get that big boy into the boat!! Kyle was grinning like a kid on Christmas day!!! There’s a shot of the scale showing the 4.3 pound bass!

But sadly, all good things must come to an end. It was late in the evening and I needed to get home ’cause I had one more day of fishing to put in during my vacation. Oh, here’s a pic of some of the sandies that I brought home. I must be some good luck in the boat ’cause Kyle brought in that sweet looking magnum!!

What a blast it was to fish with Gary!! We headed out of Buck Creek and went wide-open (well, nearly wide-open!) through the flooded timber and started off a great day of fishing!! I thought with the storm systems that had blown through a few days before, coupled with the New Moon phase, that we were in for a fabulous day of catching!! Little did we know that catching fish would go from a dream to a goal!! We fished some bridge pilings and started to realize that today would pose a special challenge in catching the fish!!

Rather than a fishing report, I should be posting a baitfish report!!! NEVER in all my years of fishing have I ever witnessed such massive amounts of baitfish!!! At each flood timber, it was just covered with a huge ball of baitfish. We’d work that section and maybe get a nibble or two and maybe even a fish in the boat but it was clear, the fish were full of bait and not
really wanting what we were offering.

I’ve only been on Ray Roberts once before so it was good to get back and to fish a new section of the lake! Moreoever, it was just grand spending the day with Gary and getting to know him and pick his knowledge of the lake and how to fish for the crappie there!! Here’s a pic of Gary with a really nice crappie!

The crappie action was very, very slow so we decided to break the doldrums by hitting the sandies. How refreshing it was to finally start getting some fish on the hooks and into the boat!! I always tell folks, if you can’t catch sunfish or sandies, you may want to try another sport!! It’s always a grand feeling when you get a double hook-up!! Here are a couple of pics of our doubles:

Later during the day we bumped into Ratmo’s brother-in-law. We did take a pic of him and are waiting for the bribe money to get deposited. If not deposited soon, I will update this post with his picture!! We buddy-boated while we worked those sandies. He and Gary pulled in some really nice magnums too! Just check out this pic of the sandies!!

While working those sandies we kept seeing a fish hitting the surface and rolling about and then going back down. We moved in closer only to see a catfish with a sandie in its mouth but the sandie seemed to have the upper-hand in the battle as it had either finned the catfish in the mouth with its spikey dorsal fins or had gotten itself into a position where the catfish couldn’t easily get it all into its mouth to swallow it. George then tossed a slab (an RJR Beast to be exact!!) at the catfish. When then slab hit, the catfish spit out the sandie and both it and the sandie soon disapperead!

We then all headed to some more timber grounds in hopes of pulling out more crappie. Let me tell you, we fished and fished but they were just plumb full of that bait that I had mentioned earlier. But, we did manage to bring in a really nice catch!!

Let me just state for the record that yes, I did catch the smallest crappie… thank you very much!!! And just who did bring in that barndoor of a crappie?? Well that was George, Ratmo’s BIL!!! That crappie measured 16 inches and weighed 2.14 pounds!!!! Doesn’t it just dwarf all the other crappie??!!

The day just kept getting hotter and hotter and we searched a few more spots but nothing was biting so we just decided to cut the day short and head back home. All in all it was still an awesome day!! We managed to catch some fish but I enjoyed the day more because it was spent with someone that loves fishing about as much as I do!!!

I know we’ll be getting together more on Ray Roberts and hopefully some other lakes too!!

What an awesome trip!! For over a year I had been planning this trip and it was literally eating me up having to wait to take the trip! But then… it was finally time to go!!

This was a special trip indeed for I got to spend this trip with two of the most important people in my life – Johnny and Gerrardo. If you were at the TBF Gathering on Ray Roberts back in April 2008, you got to meet Johnny. Now for those that don’t know, Johnny is like a father to me and my life has truly been blessed having him a part of it! Gerrardo and I have been like brothers since 1990. We served together in South Korea and were inseparable then and now!

Now this is going to be one long report so hang in there as there will be plenty of fishing action! At the end of this report will be links to all the folks mentioned so that you can check out their services while you’re in Port Aransas!!

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9/26/08 (Friday)
Johnny and I set out for the scenic-filled 7.5 hour drive down to Port Aransas. Heading down south towards Waco and then veering off to Victoria, down to Tivoli and then dog-legging down to Rockport and on into Port Aransas. There are some spots on that route that you just have to hit during the fall when the leaves start changing their colors!! And you need to stop in West… gotta get some brats from West!!

We arrived in Port Aransas and checked in at the Dolphin Dock office to figure out what all needed to be done in preparation for our 24-hour fishing trip. While there I saw a truck belonging to our buddies at Pirates of the Bay guide service. Put in a call to see how they were doing and to let them know that we were in town for a weekend of fishing!

We then headed over to Port A Outfitters to load up on some fishing goodies and then we headed off to the Pioneer Beach Resort to get everything set up on our home-away-from-home. By now we’re starving and head up to Trout Street for an awesome meal and some refreshing drinks!

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9/27/08 – 9/28/08 (Saturday-Sunday)
Up early and waiting at the marina to head out with Capt. Doug Stanford of Pirates of the Bay. We set out for several hours of fishing hitting the jetties and some of the shallows. On our way to set up on the jetty, we spot an odd looking jellyfish and Capt. Doug scoops it up and puts it in his hands!! Turns out to be a cannonball jellyfish Stomolophus meleagris as I like to call them!] (a.k.a. cabbage-head jellyfish). They don’t sting but as you can tell in this photo, it’s a pretty good-sized chunk o’ jelly!!

Capt. Doug with the Stomolophus meleagris

Johnny got the show started with a really nice red drum! A little while later I pulled up my first legal red!! We took notice that something else had taken quite an interest in this one particular red as shown by the evident bite mark! Even the dorsal fish was damaged and there were two small gorges where a little bit of meat was ripped off. So to be nice, I invited this red drum in and we’ll be having him over for dinner sometime soon!

My beat-up Red Drum

We even got to spend some time next to Capt. Doug’s son, Capt. Brad, while he took a group of folks out for a few hours of fishing! Always good to see the family business in full swing! Next we headed off into the bays and I saw right off the bat that there were tons of baitfish… sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad. Well we worked over those shallows and saw the mullet jumping all about (I think they just love to jump for the heck of it sometimes!). Gerrardo had some fun toying around with a lively stingray! Good thing that joker didn’t get on the bottom and suck in to get anchored down; once they get like that, you’ve got some work on your hands getting them up!!

Gerrardo with his sting ray!

I tell you folks, when you head down to Port Aransas, you’re going to have to set up a trip or three with Capt. Doug and his son Capt. Brad! These men will treat you right and you’ll have an enjoyable trip like we did! My utmost thanks to Capt. Doug for his hospitality and showing me all those amazing tips and tactics! And Doug, you’ll need to swing by when you’re in the area for us to head out for some serious crappie fishing!

Back to the docks after the five or six hours of morning fishing to get ready to head out on our 24-hr fishing trip. Sometimes a man don’t need no sleep when he’s having the time of his life! After boarding the La Pesca there at Dolphin Dock, we head out into the beautiful blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico! The seas were calm for the entire trip!!

Heading out!!

Bound and determined to bring in a hearty catch!

On our way out, we started noticing debris in the water and soon came upon a boat that had capsized. An eery feeling to say the least. The boat was anchored and the diving buoy was out. Our captain radioed the Coast Guard and they confirmed that no one has reported this situation and they got right on it. And we got right on out to our fishing after ensuring that we did not see any survivors floating about.

Soon we’re dropping bait and bringing in the fish!! Blue Runners, snappers, kingfish and even some barracuda! Normally folks don’t keep blue runners since they are so oily but some of us like fish that way. Our deckhands didn’t know Johnny and I were keeping those and tossed ‘em back into the waters!! (Note to self… tell deckhands not to toss away my fish!!) Man oh man how I wish it were red snapper season ‘cause I pulled in 45 of them!!! But we had to vent them and release them.

I’ve never fished that long or that intensely as I did during that 24-hour trip! I tried fishing for kingfish but never did land one, but one of the anglers gave me a kingfish once he had his limit! Johnny landed him a couple of really good-sized kingfish; and both times he gave me that sheepish grin like he was saying, “I caught one. How many have you caught?!”

We stopped at one of the oil platforms for some amberjacks but they just weren’t taking the bait. We then headed back to another spot for some long-lining for kingfish while some of us still worked for amberjacks. But still… nothing. And that’s just how fishing goes!! Sometimes you fill the boat and other times you just fill the boat with gas!

Oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico out of Port Aransas.

Once back, our catch was processed and into the blast freezer. I know I’ll definitely be going out on another trip like this one and maybe extend it by another day or two!!

My stellar snappers!

Johnny and his big king fish!

Me and my snappy snappers!

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9/29/08 (Monday)
Up and at it early!! We’re packed and hitting the surf and fishing the flats and doing some wade fishing! We hit several spots all up and down the coastline but not having very much luck. But it was still good to be out on the waters with my fishing buddies!! At one stop, while fishing, a crab pinched the heck out of my big toe!! Well one good deed deserves another! So eight big crabs later I know I have the makings for some delicious meals!! Stopped off at Moby Dick’s restaurant to gulp down a much needed lunch!

Gerrardo out wade fishing near Corpus Christi

Pics of my crab catch. Notice in the bottom right-hand corner… that crab is right at the minimum legal size limit! (So all the other crabs are nice and big!!)

We wound up the evening with a delicious fajita meal, good drinks, and Monday Night Football! By the way, I had previously picked Pittsburgh with a 3-point spread. Woohoo!! After the game we started getting things pre-packed for the trip back home.

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9/30/08 (Tuesday)
Up early and off for a big breakfast at San Juan restaurant. But I noticed everyone was eating much slower. Guess it goes to prove that all good things must come to an end. We said our goodbye’s and hit the road. But all the way home I was reliving some incredible moments from this trip. And I know, another one will be planned soon!

Well after years in the planning it finally happened! Made my way down to Freeport/Surfside to get in some flounder fishing (was really hoping to have the opportunity of my first-ever grand-slam but the weather just wasn’t playing nicely)!!

So I’m up at oh-my-gosh-thirty and on the road by 4am! I awoke to thunderous applause… yay, a thunderstorm!! And lightening so bright I thought it was daylight! But I knew it was going to be a good trip ’cause right when I cranked the engine I heard James Brown singing “I Feel Good”…. almost made me want to get out and do my James Brown dance…. almost that is!!

I don’t think it stopped raining until I got back home!!! But hey… the fish are already wet right?! Well for this trip I’m going to be meeting up with Kevin and Wayne and learn how to catch some flounder! I pulled into Galveston and saw truck after truck hauling HUGE rocks that were being used to rebuild the jetties that suffered damage from when Hurricane Ike blew through a while back. There were other sights that I saw but those will come a bit later…

So my home-away-from-home was at Surfside Breeze. Met Troy (he owns the hotel/RV park) and got checked into my room. Nice spacious accommodations and everything I needed for my stay during this fishing trip! As you can see from the picture below…. you’re not far from the surf fun here at Surfside Breeze!!!

Later in the day I met up with Wayne and when we got a break in the rain we headed over the the ICW (Intra-Coastal Waterway) and got in as much fishing as we could. Brought in flounder and sand trout and we had the makings for a nice meal later on! While we were fishing it was interesting watching the dredger going through the ICW and keeping that throughway clear and navigable. Later that afternoon Kevin finally makes a guest appearance!! While we were fishing I thought I’d sneak in a snapshot … I guess I got his best side??!!

Soon the rains started picking back up and it was time to head “home” for dinner. Wayne took some time to show me the art of filleting a flounder and then we sat down to a scrumptious dinner of flounder and sand trout! And then it was time to get some sleep cause I’d be back up at oh-my-gosh-thirty again for another day of fishing!

Up early and off to Galveston! Wayne and I pulled into the Yacht Basin and put the vessel in!

Just a short trip and we were anchored in and gearing up to start fishing! Soon Wayne has pulled in a couple of good-sized flounder and I’ve yet to figure these buggers out. So I’m firing off some questions and Wayne is really coaching me along good. And then… yeah…. FISH ON! I’m hooked in and the fight is on…. (cue theme song from “Rocky”)…. that fish is spooling line left and right and right and left…. sweat is pouring down like rain (or was it really raining?!)…. and soon we have that behemoth in the boat…. I’m just glad we didn’t have to gaff him!! (begin fade of theme song in the background….)

Yes sir! My first flounder!! Now that I had that first catch under my belt I could feel that flounder fever starting to build up even more!! Oddly enough, I can associate fishing for flounder much like fishing for catfish. When ya feel that distinct “thump”… give him some time, pull back on the line and if there’s some pressure, set the hook and reel him in!

The fishing was gooooood that morning…. Wayne and I brought in 15 flounders and I was having a blast. Now Wayne works with the Sea Center in Lake Jackson by bringing in flounder for their hatchery program. Keep in mind that the daily limit for flounder in November in Texas is 2 (two). We had 15! There were several boats around us and one of them did the right thing and put a call in to the game warden to let them know some folks were taking way more than what they should be doing. After a brief meeting with the game warden and he checked Wayne’s credentials, we were on our way to the Sea Center.

It was very interesting seeing the various holding tanks and the different species that were in the hatchery program and learning how the program actually works. After releasing our catch of flounder into the holding tank, I made my way into the center and took a brief tour of the facilities. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend stopping at the Sea Center and touring this place! Here are some pics of the Sea Center:

But as they say… all good things must come to an end and it was time for me to pack up and head on home…. in the rain!! But it was all good! Got to learn how to fish for a new species… got to meet some great folks and do some awesome fishing! On my way home I had one more item on my agenda….

Sept 13, 2008…. Hurricane Ike slammed into Galveston. Folks have no earthly idea the power in these fierce storms until they have endeared one or worked in its aftermath. Ike by no stretch of the means was the worst hurricane to hit the Texas coast. On my way in to start this fishing trip I witnessed the lingering effects from Ike. One such surprising display was in one of the fishing piers… you can see the power of the storm in these pics….

Back home…

On Sunday it was flounder dining time!! For my daughter and I… fried flounder, homemade baked potato salad, corn, homemade tartar sauce and broiled green onion and stuffed jalapeños!!! My wife prepared her’s Korean-style! I must say, either way …. that flounder was gooooooooood! Time to get more!!!

All in all it was an awesome trip!!! I just hope there’s NOT a cure for flounder fever!!!

Went out with Chuck Rollins (Big Crappie Guide Service) for a nice day a crappie catchin’ with my buddies, Anthony and Jim … little did I know what this day had in store for me! The skies were overcast making for an excellent day for fishing! We’d had some good success early in the day with crappies and sandies (white bass) and then in the early afternoon we headed over to a point that we knew held some solid brush piles in hopes of rounding out our limits for the day!

I dropped my jig and let it coast all the way to the bottom … roughly 25-30 feet deep at this point. Gave the reel a couple of winds and then felt something ‘heavy’ on the line. For sure I thought I had gotten hung up in that brush pile … but then we saw the line starting to move off to the side!!

I set the hook and the fight was on! What I was fighting wasn’t entirely too clear but 45 minutes later I brought up my personal best flathead catfish caught on light tackle!!!! It was caught on 6-lb test line with a Shimano Sienna/Ugly Stick rod/reel ultra light combo using a 1/16oz Blakemore Crappie Thunder Road Runner Chartreuse Sparkle (1/16-oz) crappie jig. This flathead weighed in 25 pounds and was 34 inches long.

When we brought that nice kitty into the boat we were all amazed that I was even able to bring her in! This was all for the simple fact that the jig was just barely set in her mouth! As you can see in the picture below it’s a wonder that the jig stayed in at all!

Now when we opened up the mouth to take out the jig we were presented with another amazing site! Talk about greedy! This cat had just swallowed another catfish (check it out in her gullet!) and then she turns to take in this teeny-tiny jig!!!!

Well surely some sort of record was set right?? Definitely wasn’t a lake record so the next step was what they call a line-class record. These records are maintained by the IGFA (International Game Fish Association). I called them up and gave them the facts of the catch. A couple of days later I get a return call and….. unfortunately….. it does not qualify as a line-class record. I guess my only consolation is that this catch ranks #2!!! The number one slot goes to a gentlemen from Oklahoma who brought in a flathead that weighed 45 pounds (using 6-lb test line). Oh well, it’s still hard to wipe the grin off my chin!!